Tartarus
by Magic Kaito
Summary: Her life seemed perfect, and yet she fell into a dark world with no escape. Is there any saving for Terra? BBxT eventually. AU (unfortunately) FOR TERRA and BBxT LOVERS! CHAPTER 4 UP! (technically chapter 3)
1. Prologue

Posted: 10-31-04

Tartarus

AN: Well, here it is! My Terra story. It's very sad when you have to write an AU fic so your favorite character can be alive, you know? I can't believe what that &$!# Slade did to her! I mean yes, part of it was her, but inside she was always good. That jerk (not as strong as the word I'm thinking, but censoring gets old and I don't like swearing) brainwashed her! And she and Beast Boy were such a good couple! DOWN WITH YOU BB/RAE!!! DOWN WITH YOU, I SAY!!!! Sniff sniff Oh well, it is the magical world of super hero cartoons, there's a slim chance that they'll bring her back sometime. Yes, it's very unlikely, but I can dream, can't I? This fic is more or less what I wish they had done with her character. And, in order to make everything work, "Aftershock" didn't happen. "Betrayal" obviously did, but Terra's reaction to what Beast Boy said wasn't as extreme, obviously, otherwise "Aftershock" would have taken place. You know, I think the title of "Betrayal" works both ways, you know? Oh, yeah! I don't own Teen Titans. If I only did... Terra would still be in commission!!! clears throat Anyway, I hope you Terra fans (and even those of you who aren't) enjoy this. This is dedicated to you!

Prologue

_This is my life. It is what I have chosen to do. You may think that I have picked the wrong road and that I am a terrible person for doing what I've done to the people who cared about me, but this was the only way. You may not believe me when I say that, but it is the truth. There was never any other choice for me. I have nothing to regret, because this is what I am supposed to do. It's where I'm supposed to be. If I wasn't here, everyone would be in terrible danger. Now, I have nothing to fear. I can control my energy because of this choice. Don't hate me for doing what I had to do. There was no way around it. This is how my life was destined to be._

_You may think that I am a liar and a traitor. I fell from what most would consider a wonderful life to where I am now. But I was betrayed first, and even when I was beginning to doubt my decision, I was betrayed again. I am doing what I need to do. I am willing to do what it takes to save myself. I will never have to run again. I was once called Tara Markov; I was once cared for. Now, I am only called Terra, and I will not be the abomination I have become anymore._


	2. Descention

Posted: 11-2-04

Chapter 1: Descention

AN: And here's chapter one! I have problems with Prologues cause then the screen says that two chapter are up but technically I just posted Chapter 1, so... I don't know. It's just that nice, short, teaser-like prologues are cool and a new thing I've started doing... Anyway, I want to remind you that this is (sadly) an AU fic. Also, there is a lot of Terra's POV in this, it isn't necessarily what I think, it's what I think she thinks. I really hope you enjoy it! (crosses fingers)

Also, thanks to Anavrin14 for reviewing (and subscribing to my BB/T C2 community, I assume it was you at least XD)!!! It makes me happy to get things like that...

* * *

She stared at the wall across from her bed. The cold, gray stone stayed there, unmoving, although it really could have had she so desired it. She looked down at the small, round mechanism in her hand. Why? Why had he betrayed her again? 

She sighed and let the hated device drop to the floor. When she had first come to Jump City, she thought that the Teen Titans sounded like a great organization. She thought that they were good people. She even thought they could help her. But it wasn't true. They lied to her and treated her as though she were inferior.

There was only one thing for her to do. Slade had said that he could help her. She wanted to control her powers, desired it more than anything in the world. After everything that had happened to her, she was willing to do anything.

He had helped her, training her in his underground base. She gained more control, and with that, confidence. She was ready to leave, to find another place to stay, especially now that she knew what she was doing. Slade wouldn't allow it, though. He had done her a favor, so now it was her turn.

At first, it seemed simple enough. Get into the Teen Titans and discover their strengths and weaknesses. Sure, she was still angry about her first encounter with them. And what harm could it do anyway? So she went back, and tried her best to pretend to be friends with the people who hadn't accepted her at first.

But then, the facade became easier. Maybe they weren't such bad people after all, and maybe she had misunderstood them. They seemed willing enough to accept her, except for Raven, maybe, but she still seemed to not mind her presence too much. She even thought that she might be able to stay with them and leave Slade for good.

Slade, on the other hand, had different plans. After she had spent a good amount of time with the Titans, giving him whatever information she could, he told her that eventually it was his goal to destroy them.

She didn't know what to think. Sure, she had been angry with them earlier, but she had never wanted them dead. And she didn't even worry about that anymore. She felt as though they really were her friends after all, and Beast Boy...

Beast Boy...

Terra shoved her face into her pillow and tensed at the thought of that name. Who did he think he was, anyway, playing with her emotions like that?!

Slade had told her a while ago that it was his plan to attack that night. She really didn't want to hurt the Titans, but Slade was the one who helped her control her powers. She obviously had more loyalty to him, right? But what had really made her not want to go through with it, she wondered. Especially now, after that terrible evening.

Beast Boy had come to her room, not unlike many other times, and seemed to want to talk to her. She tried not to hurt his feelings (and now wondered why she hadn't), but she had to finish this project for Slade. But then Beast Boy gave her that box. That heart shaped one with the mirror, and then asked her on a date.

She didn't know what to do. It actually sounded like fun to her (although she didn't know why now), but she did owe Slade for helping her. She turned him down, but then started thinking. Why did she have to start thinking?! She wouldn't be feeling like all hell had broken loose on her again if she hadn't thought about it.

Maybe she really did want to go with Beast Boy. Something inside of her hadn't really wanted him, or any of them for that matter, to get hurt, but he seemed to stand out among the rest of the group. She decided that she had to think of a way to appease Slade and save who she thought was her friend at the same time. So she just shut off the security to the tower. It seemed simple enough. And she was fairly certain that whatever Slade had planned, her not being there would keep the others safe enough.

She went to Beast Boy's room from the outside so the other Titans wouldn't notice her. If they saw her leave with him before the assault, she didn't know what they would think. And anyway, something inside of her said that she really wanted to go with Beast Boy. So she asked it out. It was probably the biggest mistake she had ever made.

She tried to be nice to him. She took him to one of her favorite restaurants with that great apple pie. Her mission for Slade, however, seemed to haunt her thoughts. She knew she couldn't stay there. She had to go someplace where she could keep moving.

She had always enjoyed that amusement park, so she thought that she should go there next. Somehow, though, Beast Boy seemed to notice that she was worried. She really wished he hadn't, because she tried her best to have a good time after that. And the worst part was that she did. She did enjoy that time with him. She thought that he was liking it, too. She thought that he was her friend. She even thought that...

Terra took a deep breath and sighed. She started feeling a few moist spots on her pillow, but took no notice of them.

That Ferris Wheel ride. What had she done to deserve the torture that she went through on that?

She knew that what had been going on with Slade would come out in the open eventually, especially after whatever he was doing at Titan's Tower. She wanted to know if Beast Boy would still be her friend even if he knew, although she knew she couldn't tell him, not then at least. After all, something had made her really like him. Whatever chemical imbalance that was, she still wasn't sure.

He promised her he'd be her friend. She should have remembered what had happened the last time he promised her something, but she didn't. She had felt relieved for some reason that she could count on him once this Slade thing became clear. And then he started leaning closer to her, and her heart started racing, and she felt herself leaning toward him as well...

It was right then that Slade decided to speak up. He told Beast Boy, all right, he told them both that she was still working for him. And they had both worked together to fight him off. She thought that he was fighting for her. Eventually, she knew she couldn't hide it any longer, so she told him the truth, that Slade wasn't lying. She told him that she hadn't wanted any of this to happen, that she still wanted to be with him.

And that jerk turned his back on her. He said that she didn't have any friends. After everything they had gone through and after everything she had believed about him, he treated her like something he had just scraped off the bottom of his shoe.

The wet areas on her pillow seemed to be getting larger. Why on Earth was she crying? She didn't need to waste her tears on that two-faced little slime ball. Beast Boy was a traitor, that was all there was to it! He took her heart, played around with it for a bit, and then threw it on the ground and dance on it with golf spikes.

Just then, Slade's voice came over the intercom.

"Terra."

"What?" she replied unhappily through her pillow.

"Are you ready to start our next plan to destroy the Titans, since you failed so miserably on this one?"

She sat up and sighed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. He was a lair. They were all liars. Why had she ever thought that they had cared about her? "Yes," she answered coldly. "I am."

* * *

AN: Well, there ya go! This is what I thought she was thinking, and I definitely needed to use it so the rest of the fic would make sense! As you can see, I'm trying my best to show a sort of "confused, mislead" side to her, because that's what I think the problem was! She was never really evil! And she did like the Titans! Anywho, I'll stop blabbering about the obvious and get working on the next chapter, where the AU really starts (cause, again, there's no Aftershock in this fic)! 


	3. Transition

Posted: 11-15-04

Chapter 2: Transition

AN: What's this?! Me?! Writing?! No way! And me not getting any reviews for the last chapter?! ...Okay, that's usual... Okay, I'm kidding. ssj left me a very very nice review (thanks a ton!)and Sapphire did review the Prologue!!! If nobody reviews this time, I might not update (cause I just get sick of writing and not knowing if anybody's reading or not), so if you're reading this and you really want me to update, REVIEW!!!

LOL, anyways, I don't own Teen Titans. But... points to top shelf I am now the proud owner of a Terra action figure!!! w00t!!! It comes with BB, too which is nice!!! So now, since I was so sad about her being turned to stone and all, I now have her as a lifeless hunk of plastic!!! ...Wait a minute... Hee hee, anyway, I also found out during the little shopping escapade when I bought it that my friend who took me shares all of my views on Terra and BB and Raven and all that stuff! Yet another member of the Dark Side!!! ...By Dark Side, meaning me and Kiyuu- Chan and other people I don't know (and now my friend) and Dark meaning awesome.

* * *

The Titans were all sitting in the main room of the Tower, seeming very exhausted. It had been several days since the attack on their home, but something still made them feel worn out from the whole experience. Robin had been working as hard as he could whenever he had spare time to figure out what Slade's next move might be. The others were finishing cleaning up the tower. Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven, spent most of their time fixing the larger parts since they were able to move the heavier objects. Beast Boy, however, just sort of seemed to drift around, lost in his own little world. 

That certain day, they had just finish a tiring ordeal in the city. The criminal was behind bars and their little guest was gone, and now they all sat on the couch, watching TV (or reading) while they regained their energy.

"I should probably get to work," Robin finally said, although he didn't move from his spot.

"Yeah," Cyborg replied, not seeming to notice his friend's lack of movement. "You never know when Slade might try something again."

"And with that little traitor on his side, we don't know how devastating it will be either," Raven added, her eyes not leaving her book.

"Yeh!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Ginyas er'uoy tahw hctaw!"

"...When did Larry say that would wear off again," Raven commented, not seeming to like his backwards talking much more than his regular self.

"I believe he said sometime soon," Starfire replied, looking nervously at the angry changeling.

"Live s'ehs taht eveileb t'nac tsuj I!" he kept on raving, looking angrily at all of them. "Taht ekil t'nsi Arret! Si Edals dab woh sezilaer ehs ecno kcab emoc ylbaborp ll'ehs!"

"Riiiight," Cyborg said, giving him a strange look. "Why don't we just let Robin figure out what they're planning?"

"Anyway, I'm assuming you're sticking up for her, so stop it," Raven added, still seeming intent on her reading.

"SHUT UP, RAVEN!!!" Beast Boy screamed, causing all of them to look at him with wide eyes. "Hey, I can talk again!!"

"Whoopie," Raven said with anything but enthusiasm.

* * *

Terra adjusted her gloves as she entered the cavern. She had trained in here many times before, but something seemed different this time. Maybe it was because she knew she was doing this to get rid of the people who had betrayed her. Then again, it could have been because she still didn't feel comfortable using her powers. 

She sighed and got ready for the training session to start. After everything she had gone through in her life, didn't she deserve to feel safe? Sure, it may mean more terrible things that she would have to do, but at least she would be free. Free to roam the world without having to run from her problems anymore. Free to find real friends, ones who wouldn't say one thing and then do another. Friends like she thought...

Just then a red light went off, and immediately, dozens of Slade's robots appeared in the cave, each carrying a powerful stun gun. Terra snapped her goggles on and looked carefully at where each of the robots were positioned. There was a moment where there was absolutely no movement at all, and then the androids lunged forward.

Terra flew up and out of the way on a boulder, causing them to dog pile in the small ditch left by her ride. She circled around them and raised her arms, dislodging several stones from the walls. She thrust her hands toward herself, sending the rocks toward the robots.

Just then, something grabbed her from behind. Apparently two of three of them had managed to sneak behind her and had leapt onto her boulder. She tried to free herself from the android's grasp while also trying to control the boulder on which they flew. It continued to restrain her while its comrades pointed their guns at her head.

She tensed up, preparing for the oncoming blow. However, a few stones dislodged from the wall and knocked the head off of the robot that held her, while the others managed to demolish the ones aiming for her. She looked at the remains with concern, and then leapt off of the boulder, letting it smash against the ground.

A few of the ones she had crushed in the pit were still trying to crawl forward. She raised her arms and thrust them down, sending several pillars of stone onto the remaining mechanical men.

Another red light went off, and she lifted her goggles of and walked toward the exit, breathing heavily.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she heard Slade say over the intercom.

"I beat your stupid robots. I'm going to my room." she answered.

"I don't think so, my dear," he answered coldly. "Do you realize why I'm having you work in here again?"

"To completely hone in on my powers," she replied with little enthusiasm.

"I'm afraid not. You're supposed to destroy the Teen Titans, remember?"

"Yeah," she answered, a scowl growing on her face.

"With the way you allowed those robots to sneak up on you like that and the way you let your power out of your grasp when you were desperate, do you really think you're ready to take on that task yet?"

"No."

"Well, dear girl, this just means that you have to go through this again until you can get it right? Understood?"

"Yes," she muttered angrily.

"Now, get ready. The more you mess this exercise up, the more you'll have to do it."

She sighed and pulled her goggles back down, slapping them against her cheeks as they went on. "I have to do this," she thought. "I have to have complete control and get rid of those who betrayed me. There is no other way for me to be free."

The red light went off again.

* * *

AN: I know... I just couldn't pass up that first part. It was a pain to write, but I've been wanting to do a post-Fractured BB's still not talking straight gag, and I thought that now was the time to do it (cause the story's going to start getting serious, strange for one of my ficcies, let me tell you!). I also realize that her "training" wasn't that rigorous, but I'm not exactly used to writing fighting-type scenes. It's sort of a training for me for later chappies (I totally just gave a lot away...)! Please review, and I'll update soon (the more reviews, the sooner the update!)!! 


	4. Position

Posted: 12-19-04

Chapter 3: Position

AN: La la la la la... Oh! You're there? Okay... I don't own Teen Titans! But you knew that... Anyways, yeah! Here's my next chapter, which I must say, I TOTALLY knew what was going to happen when I started writing it!!! ...Okay, yeah, I have this bad habit of not planning details, but I know what's going to happen eventually! AKA updates may become worse than usual. And with college, you've seen how it's been. But with finals over, I'll write a ton during break!!! Deal? Deal.

...I just saw Betrayal again... That is such an AWESOME episode... UNTIL SLADE $&#ING RUINS EVERYTHING!!! chasing Slade with baseball bat HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY (second) FAVORITE COUPLE!!! ...Uh... And now, for no reason, I'm gonna start doing reviewer responses on this fic!!! ...It's because I love you.

shadowcatmage13: Ah, that would explain it. And YOU didn't get reviews?! I've heard a ton about you (haven't had time to read anything yet, though XD). Thanks for the review, BTW!

The Anime Kid (and Chaos Girl): Yay! Thanks! And see, I updated! Y-you can put down that gun now... Oh, and drum roll please you're my 200th reviewer!!! Yes, over two years and 27 still posted fics, this is my 200th recorded one!!! YAY!

Princess Lightina: Thank you so much!!! Don't worry, I won't give up! I just may not write cause I'm too busy... XD. And in a way they are a canon pairing. Sure, it didn't last long (curses), but it was there!!!

hermioneandterras-twin16: Well, here's an update!! Hee hee, thanks for reviewing!

ssj: (Heh, that's just easier XD) Wow, that was like a last second review before they shut reviewing and stuff down! Yes, I love constructive criticism... Uh, I kind of know what I want to have happen couple wise, so you'll just have to wait and see P (and decide how you'd classify it, cause I'm not sure XD)! And you want a cliffie, huh? Okay, you asked for it... (cue evil laughter)

blackmoon36- (applauds) I totally agree with you! Except I love Terra, lol. Yeah, I kind of like Rae and Terra not liking each other that much, it gives the show some nice tension. Or GAVE the show, I should say sniff. And here's that update!

(Sobbing) Thank you all for the reviews! They make me so happy! I almost used a whole page just on you guys!! And now, what you really came here for:

* * *

Terra dragged herself into her room. The training had been much harder than usual that day; Slade seemed intent on making sure she was ready for whenever he wanted to initiate his newest plan. She closed the door and flopped onto her bed. 

She lay on her stomach and wrapped her arms around her pillow, turning her head slightly to the side. She closed her eyes and tried to let herself drift off to sleep. Although she was totally drained, it still took her a little bit of time to fall asleep. She had problems sleeping in general; usually she would lie awake for a while and just think. At least, she had been like this for the last six years...

Thoughts began flooding through her head, as was the usual situation. At first, it wasn't anything special. Just the usual things. What was training going to be like tomorrow? How had it really gone today? What was happening on her favorite TV shows? How many licks did it really take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Finally, these ideas became fuzzier and fuzzier and she drifted off into slumber. Normally her dreams were never good ones. Her past was just so riddled with such horrible memories that at least one found a way to sneak into her head. Tonight, however, was different from what she was used to.

The first thing she saw was the inside of Titan's Tower. Although while awake she would have known that alone was not a good sign for the outcome of this, while sleeping she felt strangely content. She was standing near the door and looking toward the large windows that looked out over the water. She could see five shaded figures sitting on the couch and started walking toward it. As she neared them, they reacted much in the ways she would normally have expected them to before they had turned against her; Starfire smiled and proceeded to asphyxiate her with a hug, Robin waved a little bit, Cyborg gave her a brief but friendly welcome, Raven merely blinked in acknowledgment, and Beast Boy smiled nervously.

She sat down between Starfire and Beast Boy, watching as Robin and Cyborg played a civil game of MarioKart. It felt very peaceful, oddly, watching them fire red shells at each other. Robin won, as usual, and a fuming Cyborg handed the controller to Beast Boy.

Just then, Beast Boy hit a button on the controller and everything in the room seemed to fly away, leaving them all in a floating, black space. The others didn't seemed to be shocked by any of this at all; in fact, they seemed to be going about things as they normally would. And although the change of environment scared her, the fact that those others were okay with it somehow made her feel better.

Just then, Slade stepped onto the nonexistent floor and her feeling of dread returned for some reason again. She turned to look for the other Titans, but they still floated away from her, not even seeming to notice that Slade was ever approaching. She opened her mouth to call to Beast Boy for help, but no noise came out. Just then, she heard a voice yelling...

"Terra!"

She sat up, breathing heavily, and put her hand to her head. "Stupid nightmare," she muttered, shaking her head and trying to forget whatever part made her feel better around those traitors.

"What?" she finally said, looking at the intercom on the wall.

"It's time," Slade's voice said. "Are you ready?"

She pulled her legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah," she replied. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Titans, trouble!" Robin exclaimed, looking at the main screen and pressing a few keys on the computer to get better information. The other four burst into the room, coming from whatever they had been doing previously. 

"What's wrong?" Cyborg asked, staring at the screen.

"Something's attacking downtown," he answered, trying to pinpoint the location of the trouble.

"Who is it?" Beast Boy said, looking concerned.

"Don't know," Robin replied, still working on the computer. "There. Let's go!"

They rushed out the door and once they had gotten outside, Beast Boy transformed into a Pterodactyl and picked up Cyborg while Starfire grabbed Robin. Dust and smoke rose from an area near the main part of the city, and they landed just outside of it and prepared for a fight. Car alarms were going off and at random, more crashes could be heard as more debris rose.

"Who are you?!" Robin exclaimed. "Show yourself!!!"

Just then, the shadows of two people could be seen, one appearing to be much smaller than the other.

* * *

AN: There you go, ssj. A cliff hanger! What'll happen next? Who knows?! ...Seriously, who knows? ...What's with me and these dream scenes? This is the third fic I've done it on! Oh well, it's a good look into what I think is really in a character's head or how they're really feeling (although they may not know it at the time). At least I think it is. Oh well, at least I didn't do my usually shadowy person thing like in Requiem and Fate... And again, this is mostly what I think Terra thinks, not what I personally think! And I totally gave her "me trying to fall asleep" syndrome. Seriously. That's my usual night. Except I usually don't have weird dreams about the Teen Titans. ...Usually XD. Anyway, I'd like to get another update this week for Christmas, but we'll just have to wait and see, I guess... I'll be back as soon as possible! ...And sorry about the delay! School and writer's block are not a good mix. So, please review, and let me know if you like it, if the chapters are too short (but it makes it easier for me to write and you to read), or if it's just plain bad. 


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